Nikola Pilić
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nickname(s) | Niki | |
|---|---|---|
| Country |  Yugoslavia |
|
| Residence | Munich, Germany | |
| Date of birth | 27 August 1939 | |
| Place of birth | Split, Yugoslavia (now  Croatia) |
|
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | |
| Turned pro | N/A | |
| Retired | 1978 | |
| Plays | Left-handed; | |
| Career prize money | N/A | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record | 210–168 | |
| Career titles | 3 | |
| Highest ranking | 12 (31 October 1973) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | 3r (1970) | |
| French Open | F (1973) | |
| Wimbledon | 4r (1976) | |
| US Open | QF (1973) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record | 143–134 | |
| Career titles | 6 | |
| Highest ranking | n/a | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | ||
| Australian Open | QF (1970) | |
| French Open | 4r (1969) | |
| Wimbledon | SF (1975) | |
| US Open | W (1970) | |
| Last updated on: 2008. | ||
Nikola "Niki" Pilic (Croatian: Nikola Pilić; born 27 August 1939 in Split, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is a retired Croatian professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. He was one of the Handsome Eight.
Pilić was central to the 1973 Wimbledon Boycott. That year the Yugoslav tennis federation alleged that Pilić had refused to represent them in a Davis Cup tie. Pilić denied the charge, but was suspended by the federation, and the suspension was upheld by the ILTF, meaning that he could not enter major tournaments. In protest at the suspension, eighty-one of Pilić's fellow professionals, including thirteen of the sixteen seeds, withdrew from the Wimbledon championship.
After retiring, Pilić began coaching and became the first captain to win the Davis Cup trophy for two different nations: Germany in 1988, 1989 and 1993; and Croatia in 2005. He's been working with Serbia Davis Cup team in the advisor role since 2007.
He runs a tennis academy in Munich where he resides, working with young professional players like Ernests Gulbis.
Contents |
[edit] Grand Slam finals
[edit] Singles Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1973 | French Open |  Ilie Năstase |
6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
[edit] Doubles Titles (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1970 | U.S. Open |  Pierre Barthès |
 Roy Emerson & Rod Laver |
6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 |
[edit] External links
- Nikola Pilić at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Nikola Pilić at the International Tennis Federation
- Nikola Pilić at Davis Cup
- Tennis Academy Niki Pilic - Official site
- An interview in Jet Set magazine (Croatian)
